Preliminary Tests
by AMKelley
Summary: A day in the life of Specs' and Tucker's strained "friendship".


They were working on there latest case. Specs and Tucker were setting up their, mostly Tucker's, equipment. An old woman and a young man, probably her son, watched them patiently as the two fumbled with devices and wires.

Untangling himself, Specs said, "We're just going to do some preliminary tests-"

"Helps weed out the nut jobs," Tucker cut in.

Specs closed his eyes in irritation at Tucker's comment and hoped their latest clients weren't offended by it. He smiled hopefully at Mrs. Ackerly and Noah.

"You'll have to excuse my colleague. He's a little audacious. Doesn't think before he talks," Specs laughed nervously. He figured the lady wouldn't know what audacious meant, but she followed him all the same.

"It's quite alright," Mrs. Ackerly beams. "Do you boys need anything?"

"We'll be fine-"

"Maybe a hot pocket, if you have it," Tucker said. He wasn't really asking and if he was, it'd be rude.

"Sure," she said with a weak smile.

After a moment her and her son walked off into another room, to leave the men to their work. Specs eyed Tucker intently as he put together some of his own devices. Tucker looked up at Specs' disapproving look.

"What?"

"How can you think about your appetite before helping others?" Specs chided lowly. He paused for a second. "Oh wait, I forgot. You don't think at all."

Tucker stood up straight as Specs turned away from him and put down whatever he had been fiddling with.

"Hey. We don't don't even know if they're actually seeing shit or not."

Tucker had a point, but still. If they had or hadn't been through anything abnormal, the fact that these people were afraid still mattered, if only to Specs.

"Just get your toys, so we can," Specs mocked without turning around.

Tucker huffed and shook his head. He made a few more adjustments to his equipment and walked past Specs. Tucker stopped and without turning said, "Don't forgot your doodles, Rembrandt."

Specs' cheeks warmed up and he scoffed at Tucker's remark. Sighing, he picked up his sketch book and followed Tucker down the hall. As he went he peeked into the rooms, getting a feel for the place and started absently drawing the layout of some "disturbed" rooms. Specs was following close behind Tucker and bumped into him a few times on accident.

Tucker scanned the halls and rooms for any paranormal readings; nothing too eventful happened. Yet. Specs was hoping to prove him wrong, just because. Mrs. Ackerly came down the hallway to give Tucker a hot pocket nooked to perfection. He didn't even utter a thanks to the poor lady.

Specs turned around at the sound of a disgust and food being spit on the ground.

"What the hell man?" Specs questioned.

"That's what I'm saying," said Tucker. "This is a veggie pocket!"

Tucker's face was contorted into something between shock and upset. Specs rolled his eyes at Tucker.

"Can't you enjoy life's little pleasures for once?"

"Maybe if it was your 'little pleasure'."

Tucker's remark regarding his 'package' made him heat up and blush deeply as Tucker laughed at his silence. Specs walked into the hall bathroom to get some tissue and a rag to clean up the mess Tucker made. When he came back he bent down to rid the ground of half chewed food and felt Tucker's eyes on him. It felt intimate.

"You know, Specs, you don't look half bad on your hands and knees," Tucker jested rather profoundly.

Specs exhaled loudly and shook his head mentally. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he got up from the ground and smoothed his pants of wrinkles as he walked to dispose of the rag and tissues.

After that, Tucker started taking pictures and looking through his special lenses. He didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary so far, from what Specs could see. Specs started roughly sketching Tucker. He was poised in the hallway, with the camra raised to his face, snapping away. Specs licked his lips, sometimes looking away from his sketchbook as if his hands alone knew what to draw.

Tucker took a small break to finish the hot pocket, even if he didn't exactly want to. They stepped into the master bedroom and Tucker scanned the queen-sized bed. A few blips here and there on Tucker's equipment caught Specs' attention.

"Any activity?" Specs asked hurriedly.

"Well, I'm guessing this is the old lady's room judging by the decor. So, no. I don't think there's much 'activity' in this room," Tucker chortled. "Especially in bed. Maybe you and I can change that? Maybe you'll finally lose your virginity."

"In your dreams, Grizzly Adams. How did Elise ever hire you?" Specs asked rhetorically.

Tucker answered anyway. "Because of my specially designed equipment."

"I'm sure she could find someone else," Specs mumbled.

Tucker walked over to him and patted Specs on the shoulder. "You're stuck with me, four eyes."

"You're hopeless."

"At least my skill is useful," Tucker commented as he tried to catch a glimpse of what Specs was scribbling. "Unlike yours," he finished.

Specs clutched the sketchbook to his chest defensively and pouted,"I have skill!"

"I'm not saying you have no skill. I'm just saying your skill is useless," Tucker mocked.

"I am very useful," Specs defended as he got in Tucker's face. Specs has never been so bold as to actually get in Tucker's face, but he figured Tucker was all bark and no bite.

"Then what do you bring to the table besides doodles?" Tucker challenged and stepped closer to Specs.

Tucker was taller than him and Specs backed off a little. Tucker smirked and shook his head when Specs remained silent.

"What were you drawing anyway?" Tucker asked and snatched the sketchbook out of Specs' hands.

Specs tried grabbing it back as he fumbled with coherent sentences, but it was no use. Tucker had it in his hands and was already going through it. Sketches of different entities and layouts were flipped through and soon the sketch of Tucker would show. When it did turn up Tucker's eyes got big and he looked up at Specs.

"What is this?" Tucker said slowly.

"Obviously crap if you're looking at it like that," Specs discouraged as he went for the sketchbook again.

Tucker pulled away and looked it over again. He pushed it back in Specs' hands and gruffly said,"Looks good. But ONLY 'cause I'm in it."

Specs frowned. He thought Tucker would actually compliment him for once, but it was just another poke at his pride. They finished up with their scanning and went into the foyer where Mrs. Ackerly and Noah waited patiently for news. Any news.

Specs broke it down to them slowly. Nothing was, at all, paranormal about their house. Tucker's scanners didn't pick anything up and if Elise were here, she probably wouldn't have seen anything.

They were thanked for their time and escorted to the front door. Specs apologized to Mrs. Ackerly once again.

"Do you mean it?" Specs asked a few hours after they went back to 'headquarters'.

Tucker looked up from his pizza and at Specs. He scrunched his eyebrows as he wiped away the sauce from the corner of his mouth.

"Specs, your doodles are good. I only say those things to tease you," Tucker said truthfully.

Specs frowned. "Not that. I mean about th-"

"Did anything turn up?" Elise said as she entered the small kitchen area.

"No," Tucker said. "Nothing."

"That's a shame. Their story was so believable." Elise walked over to the coffee pot and poured some in a cup.

Tucker looked back at Specs, but found him with his head down and scribbling out different faces. Elise sipped her coffee gingerly and sighed contently. Tucker's foot was tapping on the ground. He was itching to find out what Specs was about to say.

Elise paced around the kitchen and Tucker watched Specs drawing furiously. The next picture he drew was of himself with erratic scribbling all around his head. He thought maybe that was how Specs was feeling right now.

When Elise finally rinsed her mug out and left Tucker turned back to Specs.

"Well?" Tucker asked quickly.

Specs stopped and peeked at Tucker. "It's nothing."

"You were about to tell me your feelings, weren't you?" And a big grin spread across Tucker's face.

"No I ju-"

"You totally were!"

"Nevermind. I was about to tell you, but nevermind."

Tucker's smirk was gone and he wasn't about to let the subject be dropped just like that. He grabbed the sketchbook out from under Specs. Specs huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. Tucker raised his eyebrows as if saying 'I'm waiting'.

"You're always teasing me, Tucker, and I don't know how to take it."

"I'll stop," Tucker said simply.

"No, I mean, what are your intentions? I don't care if you do it."

Specs got up from the table and walked around to stand in front of Tucker. Tucker fell silent as Specs sat on the table.

"I just need to know," Specs finished in a whisper. "Do you like me as much as I like you?"

"Sure. If you still want, I can take your virginity," Tucker chuckled.

Specs rolled his eyes and scoffed,"You're impossible. Can't be serious for five min-"

That's when Tucker sealed his lips over Specs'. Specs eyes were giant saucers and Tucker's scruffy beard scratched against his face. Tucker's tongue entered Specs' mouth and he moaned at the act. A hand came around to the back of Specs' head and pulled him into Tucker's lap. He didn't resist, but made a startled noise when it happened. And as soon as it happened, they pulled away for breath.

"Damn." Specs' heart was racing and he sat lopsided on Tucker's lap. His arms encircled Tucker's neck and he chuckled contently. Their foreheads were resting against one another.

"How's that for an answer?" Tucker said with a quirk of his eyebrows.

"Ditto," Specs panted out.


End file.
